How To Use Android Phone For Beginners

(Pocket-lint) - If you lot're holding your shiny new Android smartphone and wondering how to get the most from it, then yous've come to the correct place.

Whether this is your first smartphone, yous've only hopped over from an iPhone, or yous've had a number of Android handsets, we've pulled together some of the best Android tips and tricks to help y'all get the most from your new phone.

There are unlike versions of the software, there are plenty of different manufacturer skins layered over that Android core, like those from Samsung, Oppo or OnePlus, and there'south a limitless level of customisation you can utilize from Google Play, or other tertiary-party sources.

Few Android devices are alike, merely all Android devices take the aforementioned foundation. So, starting at the beginning, here's how to master your Android telephone.

Google Banana tips and tricks: Primary your Android assistant

Sort out your Google account

Android and Google are similar peas in a pod. To employ Android, y'all need to use a Google account. That means everything that goes with it - Gmail, calendars, contacts, YouTube, Google Maps and more.

Getting your account in order is something yous can practice from your PC before yous sign into your new device, letting you apply the large screen and keyboard to get things straight.

Google incorporates a contacts organisation which hides within Gmail on your desktop browser. If y'all have lots of contacts, import them into Google contacts and manage them there. Managing them on a computer makes it much faster to get everything correct earlier you lot get started.

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If you lot have your contacts in some other form, there are like shooting fish in a barrel ways to import them to Google, besides every bit browse for duplicates and so on. As your Android life progresses, it's worth popping back to your core Google contacts list to cheque that everything is all the same squeamish and tidy. You tin always caput to contacts.google.com to become a grip.

If you lot're thinking of saving contacts to the SIM card and moving them over, it's not worth the attempt: better to find the software to import them from your old phone to your PC, to so feed them to Google. It will make your life easier in the future.

Master transfer tools, or just use Google

Many manufacturers offer transfer tools to help you movement old content to new places. For many it's ane of the options when you prepare a device for the first time. Android has the choice to restore a previous fill-in, or set up up a device from scratch, too as offer you lot the chance to transfer information wirelessly to setup things similar your accounts and settings.

Generally speaking, if y'all've been using Android previously, those items associated with your account volition move over without a hitch. But brand certain you fill-in your old phone before yous start the process - information technology should include all your calls and SMS messages, but other messaging apps - like WhatsApp - will have to be setup separately, using their own backup processes.

Transferring photos and videos

For things like photos, y'all might wish to movement them to a cloud service if you desire to preserve them. This has the added advantage of being a backup if you lose your phone.

Google Photos is the obvious choice for Android users, because it's associated with your account. You just take to install the app and sign in if information technology'southward non already on your device. Caput to the menu to settings > backup & sync and you'll find all the options to backup photos. It's adept to have fill-in turned on all the time, so your photos are ever there, even if y'all lose your telephone.

You can likewise install Google Photos on the iPhone, again providing a mode to backup photos on your iOS device. This will immediately backup local photos, but if yous take been using iPhone for some time, you might have to download photos from iCloud - for which y'all'll probably have to use a PC and boosted software.

Another option for photos is OneDrive from Microsoft or Dropbox, as both offer photo backup options and are widely attainable across platforms.

You could besides relieve to a microSD menu and move it across, if you lot have the hardware to support it - but once more, moving to the cloud means you have a backup off your phone and y'all can access photos via browser on your PC.

Google Photos on Google Play
Dropbox on Google Play
OneDrive on Google Play

Plough off all those sounds and vibrations

New phones like to buzz, click and beep at every touch. For some reason, manufacturers think that you want to constantly know that you've touched information technology and all these things can exist annoying and can even ho-hum the phone down.

Once you've sorted some of the basics, tame those notifications and unwanted vibrations. Y'all'll thank us in the long run.

On a standard Android phone (Pixel, Nokia, Moto), head into settings > audio & vibration > advanced > other sounds and vibrations. Hither you'll exist able to turn off screen locking, impact sounds and vibrate on tap.

If you lot want to edit the keyboard vibrations, head into settings > system > languages & input > virtual keyboard, and then select your keyboard and head into preferences and you can turn off things like vibrate on keypress.

Sadly, manufacturers who make their own skin movement these things around and change the location of these settings, as practice different versions of Android. But head into the sounds section and y'all'll meet a world of options.

Cull the all-time Android Keyboard

If you lot've got a phone from a manufacturer like Oppo, Xiaomi, Poco, Samsung or many others, you might find that you accept a keyboard that's not groovy. On Android you can utilise whatever keyboard yous want and in that location'southward loads on Google Play.

If you lot're looking for more customisation and better autocorrect and suggestions, the SwiftKey is a great keyboard that learns from you meliorate and offers lots of tweaking.

See SwiftKey on Google Play

However, if you simply want speed and simplicity and so y'all'll find that Gboard - the Google Keyboard - is actually one of the best out at that place. It's the stock keyboard for Android, so information technology comes on many devices already. If yous've not got it, so it's a must.

See Gboard on Google Play

Changing keyboards is pretty unproblematic. In almost cases, when yous've downloaded a new keyboard, simply top on "open" in Google Play or tap the notification and you'll launch into the setup.

Dump the junk apps

Some manufacturers volition include apps on your phone y'all don't desire or need. Some will exist preinstalled games, some services or other things that the visitor has agreed to include with their phones whether yous want them or non - and some volition be where the manufacturer thinks that its version of an app is better than a stock Android app. In almost cases, this is unwanted bloatware.

Yous'll oftentimes be able to delete these apps during steup - or opt out of installing them rather. Otherwise, you might accept to manually remove them, by long pressing on the app icon in the app drawer and selecting uninstall. Some tin't be uninstalled, in which instance you might desire to create a folder for junk apps and motion them all to at that place so you're non looking at them all the time.

Google offers its ain version of the Phone and Messages app, which you lot might want to install instead of those offered by the manufacturer. Once you open up them, you lot open them you'll exist prompted to make them your default.

Which is the all-time Android browser?

There are lots of browsers available for Android, with each offering a range of unlike options. The stock browser is Chrome and that'south the all-time Android browser for many people, equally information technology syncs with Chrome on the desktop and gives like shooting fish in a barrel admission to your Google history for a seamless experience.

However, when you're looking at a new device, you might find that yous have another browser, probable 1 that has been tinkered with by the device manufacturer. Generally, you can ignore it and become directly for Chrome. If you lot have more than one browser installed, the telephone will enquire you which to open until you select a default. Oftentimes you just accept to tap the message that pops up and yous're done.

Become to your settings faster

Swiping down the notifications bar will get you access to shortcuts for various hardware toggles. It'due south here you can plow off things similar Bluetooth or Wi-Fi rapidly and easily. Many manufacturers edit this area, so Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and Pixel devices all look unlike, but they all piece of work in the same way.

Swipe downwards with two fingers and it will accept yous straight to those toggles, or swipe down twice to get the whole thing open up.

The peak tip here is to long press the quick setting and you'll go to the full card for that area. For example, if Wi-Fi is causing you bug, long press on the quick setting icon and you'll go through to the full Wi-Fi menu.

If you want to head to the total setting menu, tap the cog in the notifications area when you swipe down, rather than trying to find the option in the apps tray.

Data not working?

Smartphones are complex beasties and sometimes things just finish working. The bar says you have full reception, but nothing is moving, you lot tin can't get that site to load or that tweet to send.

Try flipping the phone into Aeroplane/Airplane mode and dorsum once again. This will sever your connection and re-establish it, and hopefully things will beginning moving once again. Yous can become to Aeroplane mode via the quick settings grid mentioned in a higher place.

Wi-Fi not working?

Just similar cellular data, sometimes Wi-Fi goes on the blink. Oftentimes, just opening the quick settings and toggling Wi-Fi off and so back on again, will re-constitute the connection. Some phones have an pick to automatically switch to cellular if Wi-Fi performance is poor and usually you'll get a notification if that happens, for example when streaming a motion-picture show.

Watch out for phones clinging on to weak Wi-Fi networks. Sometimes when yous leave home, for example, y'all'll notwithstanding be continued to that network which volition explain why things might be ho-hum as you're walking down the street.

Customise your Android habitation pages

The homepage is front of the queue when it comes to customisation. Your new telephone will probably come with a range of shortcuts and widgets spread across a number of pages.

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If you don't want them, delete them with a long press and elevate them to the trash can. You can also usually delete the pages they're sitting on: in that location'southward no need to accept vii dwelling pages if they're all empty.

Different versions of Android and different manufacturers have slightly unlike approaches to abode folio customisation. Normally a long printing on the background wallpaper, or a pinch on the background will go you started, just it differs from device to device.

If you're just struggling for wallpaper suggestions, then attempt the Android Wallpapers app, or browse our gallery of wallpapers you could utilize.

See Wallpapers on Google Play
Lots of great wallpaper suggestions for your phone

What Android Launcher should I use?

If you lot're new to Android, the term launcher might be confusing. The launcher is basically the home pages and the apps tray. It'southward the habitation of your telephone.

Your device will come with a launcher in identify, that of the manufacturer. If you don't like it and desire a dissimilar look to your phone, it's really easy to switch to an alternative and at that place are loads in Google Play.

When you lot install a new launcher, the original stays on the phone then yous're not losing it, y'all're just telling the telephone to use a unlike launcher instead, meaning y'all can escape from the looks of Samsung One UI if you don't like it, for case, and have something a little more unique.

If you want more control and customisation - also equally the ability to emulate some of the latest features from some top Android phones - and then there are few launchers every bit capable equally Nova Launcher. The options are almost endless.

Come across Nova Launcher on Google Play

How exercise I have an Android screenshot?

Simply agree standby and book down at the same time and you'll get a screenshot of whatever you lot're looking at. Not everything can be captured, however. Some protected content, such every bit video playing in some apps, won't announced in your screenshot.

Screenshots are stored in the gallery in their own folder, but if you're looking to share, you can do directly from the notifications bar once it has saved.

There are a few variations on this combination of push button presses at present. Samsung used to utilise volume down and the domicile button, but now it uses the same combination as everyone else.

Use Android folders

Folders are a smashing way to organise your apps on your domicile folio. To exist actress efficient, y'all can also identify folders on the shortcut bar at the bottom of the brandish.

This means you can have lots of your core apps to paw without them cluttering upwards your habitation folio, and so that lovely wallpaper of your cat remains visible.

To create a folder, simply drag i app shortcut over another and a folder volition exist automatically created.

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Some devices will likewise let you make folders in the apps tray (bill of fare) which is a bully mode to organise everything in there and go far easier to find your app. That said, if y'all've done a good chore with folders on your dwelling house page, yous'll find yourself rarely using the main apps tray.

SD card or non?

If you're lucky enough to accept a microSD carte slot on your device, there are a few things y'all should know about it.

MicroSD is a cracking place for storing additional content for your device, or to expand the storage you accept. If y'all take a device that'south running Android 6 Marshmallow or later you might have access to something called Flex Storage or Adoptable Storage. This lets you use the microSD card equally expanded internal storage. The microSD carte du jour'southward capacity volition be assimilated and used for everything the telephone wants.

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Flex Storage is a dandy pick for those with a depression storage device as it ways you can expand it and accept more apps. If you opt non to use Flex Storage, you can't always use it for installing more apps - it volition merely be used for storing files, like music or photos.

Importantly, if you're opting to use microSD, you lot should buy the fastest carte du jour you can to ensure that you're not slowing the phone downward when it comes to accessing the information yous have on it. Fortunately microSD is cheap and plentiful through retailers similar Amazon.

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Moving files to and from your phone

Android is great in that it gives you and then much flexibility for carrying and using all sorts of files. Embracing the cloud is preferable to using wire and you have plenty of options to get admission to those PDFs or whatever else you want. Yous tin use Google Drive to move files easily and y'all can then access these through any browser, or on whatever Android device, or with apps elsewhere.

Google'south apps will let you edit them hands and at that place are free applications for things like Docs and Sheets, ideal for working on your documents on the move. Alternatively, Microsoft offers free Office apps for Android, although some features are only available to Office 365 subscribers. It works in cahoots with OneDrive, again, so you can have seamless access to your important files beyond devices.

Alternatively, Dropbox will practise much the aforementioned thing. Install the app and you'll be able to move files through the deject over to your device, although it's more than expensive if you lot need to increase the storage.

Writing by Chris Hall. Editing past Britta O'Boyle.